A Boy and His Hero
by jpaez
Summary: Zorro and Victoria help a family in need, and in turn their lives change forever.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the rights to Zorro or any of the characters. All rights belong to the creators of Zorro. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only. I would like to thank my wonderful cousin, Alisha, for reading, correcting, and making suggestions to improve this and my other stories. Love you Cuz.**

**A Boy and His Hero**

**Chapter 1: Rescue and Meeting His Hero**

Zorro was out tracking a gang of banditos that robbed a stagecoach earlier that morning. It was now around noon and he was tired and hungry. "Maybe I need to follow the trail back to where I found the stage-coach." Zorro thought to himself.

He turned around, and began to follow the main trail back toward the stagecoach that still lay on its side in a cluster of trees. As he came nearer to the fallen stagecoach, he noticed movement to the left of the cluster of trees he was heading toward. As he got closer he heard a small child crying for his mama. Zorro quickly rode in the direction of the child, and what he discovered was heart breaking. The little boy was trying to wake his mother up by shaking her shoulder and crying out, "Mama please wake up." Tears were sliding down his face and his eyes were red and puffy. Zorro jumped down off of Toronado and carefully approached the boy and his mother.

"I am here to help you," Zorro gave the boy a kind and gentle look.

"Can you help my mama? She is hurt and will not wake up," the young boy looked at Zorro with trust and began to settle down a little.

"Yes, I can help her, but you need to tell me what happened so I can get you both too safely and make sure she can be moved without further injury." Zorro was now at the boy's side and checking the unconscious woman for a pulse.

The boy nodded and said, "Anything to save my Mama."

Zorro made mental notes about the woman's condition, "She has a weak pulse, no cuts or bruising on her head, and she is not responding to voices."

"I need to get her to the Doctor. Can you please help me move her over so I can get her onto my horse," Zorro asked the young boy. The boy nodded and helped Zorro move his mother out of the trees. Zorro carefully climbed up onto Toronado's back while holding the unconscious woman around the waist and supporting her head against his chest. Once he was able to put the woman in a sitting position in front of him, he leaned over and pulled the young boy up to sit behind him.

"Hold on tight." Zorro told the young boy as he clicked his tongue to let Toronado know it was time to go. The boy wrapped his arms around Zorro's waist and locked his hands tightly together.

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They came into the pueblo, and quickly headed to the Doctor's office. Zorro helped the boy down and then climbed down carefully himself so he would not drop the boy's mother.

The doctor opened the door quickly and helped Zorro lay the women on a nearby bed in the office.

As the doctor looked over the boy's mother, Zorro took the boy over to a corner of the office to ask him some questions.

"What is your name little one?" Zorro asked the boy in a calm tone.

"My name is Pablo. Is my Mama going to be alright?" The boy looked worried and scared.

"The doctor will take good care of her, don't worry, she will be just fine." Zorro patted Pablo on the shoulder.

"My name is Zorro, and if you need anything, you can ask me or some friends of mine for help." Zorro gave Pablo a reassuring smile and pat on the shoulder.

"Doctor, I need to get young Pablo something to eat and drink. I will have Victoria keep an eye on him while you tend to his mother." Zorro told the doctor as he stood up.

"I will keep you updated on how she is doing." The doctor winked at Zorro and returned his attention to his patient.

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Zorro lead Toronado to the back of the tavern and knocked on the back door.

Victoria was preparing the vegetables for dinner service. She went to the door when she heard someone knocking, and peeked out. She was surprised to see her masked love at this time of day.

"Zorro, what happened," Victoria asked when she noticed the worried look on his handsome face.

"I need your help Senorita," he gave her a hopeful smile.

"Get in here before someone sees you, I will make sure Pilar is busy so we can talk." Victoria held the door open for him and was taken by surprise when she saw a young boy with Zorro, "who is this young man?" She smiled at Pablo.

"His name is Pablo, and his mother is injured. I took her to the doctor and young Pablo here is hungry and thirsty." Zorro said as he looked around the kitchen nervously. He knew that Victoria would be reopening soon, and lancers would soon be on the other side of the curtain dividing the kitchen and the dining room. "I would also like to ask you if you could keep an eye on him until we can find out where he came from and if he has family close by to watch him till his mother is strong enough to care for him." Zorro gave her a hopeful smile.

"Sure, I will be happy to help, and yes he can stay with me until his mother is strong enough to care for him. He can help me with a few small chores around here." She smiled at Pablo then gave Zorro a questioning look.

"I will explain more tonight when I bring those banditos in that robbed that stagecoach earlier this morning. Have you heard about the gentleman they found near the fallen stagecoach?" Zorro asked as he helped Pablo sit down and handed him a glass of juice.

"No, I haven't heard much about how he is doing, but the doctor did say that his injuries were not that serious and he would recover quickly." Victoria replied to Zorro's question as she put a plate of food down in front of her young quest.

Pablo looked up when he heard what they were talking about, "How is my Papa, and can I please go see him when I am finished eating?" Pablo asked between bites of rice and beans.

Zorro and Victoria looked at each other, and realized that Pablo could help catch who robbed the stagecoach earlier that morning.

Zorro pulled a stool over to where Pablo was sitting and patted him gently on the arm. "Yes, Victoria can take you over to see both your father and mother, but first I need to ask you what happened this morning." Zorro gave him a friendly smile.

"Alright, but I really want to see them." Tears began to run down Pablo's cheeks as he started to tell Zorro and Victoria about the robbery.

"We were on our way to see my Aunt, who is sick and needs some help around her house. My Mama and Papa said we would be at her farm soon, and then four mean men attacked our stagecoach. They threw the driver off onto the ground and jumped onto the horses and pulled them to a stop. After they stopped the horses, they came over to the coach door, and pulled my parents out and threw them down into the dirt. I yelled at the banditos to leave my parents alone, but they threw me into the dirt next to my Mama. My Papa tried to fight the men so my Mama and I could get away. We ran into the trees to hide. My Mama and I were close to a large pile of rocks and my Mama fell down and hit her head. When she would not wake up, I got so scared. That is when I saw the banditos run away and my Papa was not around. I thought they took him. I stayed hidden and watched a few lancers ride by, but I was too scared to leave my Mama alone. When Zorro rode up to help, I felt safe. I knew I could trust him. He is very well known and talked about where I live. We know he is a good man and hero, not the outlaw that your alcalde thinks he is." Pablo looked at both of them and had to calm down. The emotions of reliving the scary events of the robbery made him upset and he began to shake with fear.

"You are safe here, no one is going to hurt you, and your parents will be just fine." Victoria went over to give his shoulders a gentle squeeze.

Zorro watched her calm Pablo down and a rush of emotion ran through his body. He pictured her with their children; she was so good with children.

Victoria noticed him watching her and smiled, "are you alright? Is something bothering you?" A look of concern crossed her face. She knew something was bothering him when she saw his body shiver and the lost look in his eyes was not right.

"I am fine, but I really need to go before I am seen here with you. Thank you for watching Pablo for me." Zorro opened the back door and started to leave. Pablo jumped down off the stool and ran over to Zorro and hugged him. "Thank you for helping my Mama," Pablo looked up at Zorro, "Will I see you again?"

"Yes, and I will take you for a ride on Toronado, but first I need to catch those men that hurt your parents. I will send a friend of mine to see you soon. His name is Diego, you can trust him, and he can take you riding anytime you want to go." Zorro knelt down and gave Pablo a gentle hug. Zorro noticed the smile on Victoria's face and stood up. He reached for her hand and placed a kiss on her soft skin. "Thank you for watching Pablo." Zorro turned and left quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Family Reunited**

Victoria took Pablo to see his parents after he finished eating.

"Mama, you are alright," Pablo exclaimed as he ran over to his mother's bedside.

"I am alright my son." She sat up a little so she could hug him.

"Guess who saved us Mama," Pablo said as he jumped up and down.

"Who saved us?" The woman asked her excited son with a smile.

"Zorro! That's who saved us. He brought us here so you could get better. You had me so scared Mama." He gave his mother another big hug.

"Well, the next time you see him, please tell him thank you. I am so happy to hear that you had a chance to meet Zorro. Now that you have met him, is he just as great as people say he is?" She gave her son another squeeze and let him sit down on the edge of the bed.

Pablo's face lit up, "Yes Mama, he is so nice and he promised to take me for a ride on his horse after he catches those mean men who hurt you and Papa." The boy gave his mother a big smile.

"That is wonderful news. Your father has been asking about you, so you should go see him quickly before he goes back to sleep." Pablo's mother told him, and pointed to an open door just to her left.

Pablo gave his mother another quick hug and kiss before running off to see his father in the next room.

Victoria and the doctor were talking about the stage-coach robbery, and all the information they already had. They were hoping to help Zorro find the banditos that attacked the family they were now caring for.

"You have a very special boy. He was so worried about you." Victoria gave the woman a soft smile. "My name is Victoria." She walked over to the side of the bed and introduced herself.

"My name is Rosemary, and yes my son is very special. He means everything to me." Rosemary replied and gave Victoria a friendly smile.

"It is nice to meet you Rosemary. Pablo can stay with me until you are better, if that is alright with you. I am a friend of Zorro's." Victoria said with a blush and smile on her face.

"It is alright with me. I can see that Zorro has great trust in you, and Pablo is happy" Rosemary replied with a smile.

"I have a spare room for you and your family to stay in until you can travel to see your sick family member." Victoria smiled and motioned to the doctor to come over to the bedside. "Doctor, would it be alright if Rosemary and her family stayed at the Tavern or do they need to stay here a little longer?" She asked the doctor.

The doctor replied, "they can stay at the Tavern, but they need to rest. Rosemary hit her head hard on a rock and needs to stay in bed for a few more days, and her husband Juan needs to take it easy also."

Rosemary smiled and accepted Victoria's offer. "We promise to relax and Pablo will have company while we are resting. A friend of Zorro's is a friend of ours." She smiled at Victoria.

"We can get you settled into your room after I close the Tavern at the end of the day. I need to get back to work, but I will have Diego, my friend, help me get you and your family settled in for the night." Victoria smiled at Rosemary and left the doctor's office.

Pablo stayed with his parents and the doctor until he got hungry. He went back to the Tavern and ate while his parents rested.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Delivery and Discovery**

Zorro found two of the banditos looking for firewood and fresh horses on De La Vega land.

"I don't think those horses belong to you senors" Zorro came up behind the banditos and took them out quickly with a right hook square in the jaw. Zorro tied them up and hid them in a nearby bush until he came back for them. The other two were nowhere in sight.

"The other two must be around her somewhere. If I follow the tracks these two left behind, maybe I will find their campsite." Zorro thought to himself as he followed the fresh tracks. He found the campsite and hid behind a bush.

"Now, I have to get them to look the other way so I can knock them out quickly." Zorro thought as he picked up a few rocks and threw them at a tree on the other side of the campsite.

"Who's there?" The banditos jumped up and turned toward the tree the rocks hit. Zorro quietly jumped down a few rocky patches and stood behind the men. The two men turned around and noticed they had unexpected company, "who are you." The banditos asked the masked man standing behind them as they started to reach for their swords.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Zorro saluted the banditos and punched them both square in the jaw. "My name is Zorro." He finished saying as both men fell to the ground. They soon found themselves tied to their horses along with the other two that were caught first. Zorro led both horses to the pueblo and into town. He took them to the jail and left them waiting at the alcalde's front door.

Victoria was on the front porch helping some guests, and noticed Zorro enter the pueblo with two horses. Each horse had two men, with Z's carved into the seats of their pants, lying over their backs. Victoria smiled and waved at her masked love as he passed by. Zorro smiled back and quickly left the pueblo before the alcalde and his men had a chance to catch him.

Pablo was excited to see the four men had been caught, and he would soon get to ride with his masked hero.

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Diego walked into the Tavern, and leaned against the bar. "Hola Victoria." He greeted her when she came over to the bar.

"Hola Diego, we missed you at lunch time." Victoria replied as she put a glass of lemonade down in front of him.

"I had a headache this morning," Diego quickly replied.

"How is your headache?" Victoria gave him a quick smile and watched him carefully.

"Much better, thank you for asking." Diego replied and averted his eyes when he noticed her watching him closely.

Victoria shook her head a little and returned her attention to the glasses she was drying. There was something about Diego that she just could not understand. He reminded her of her masked love, but they behaved so differently. Diego sometimes acted out of character and seemed more like Zorro, but then he would do something to distract her and change her thoughts. They were both tall and very gentlemanly toward her. Zorro had stolen a few kisses here and there, but was always careful to keep his emotions from going too far. Diego treated her with respect and would do just about anything to help her in times of need. She was falling in love with her best friend, Diego, but she was also engaged to Zorro.

"Victoria, is something bothering you? You have been drying the same glass for a few minutes." Diego looked concerned. He reached over and put his hand lightly on her forearm. His touch sent a strange feeling through her body, one that she only got when Zorro touched her. A look of shock and surprise crossed her face.

"I need to sit down. I think the heat is getting to me." She replied and headed to the kitchen.

Diego followed her and made sure she would be alright.

"You look pale. Maybe you should rest." Diego helped her sit down, and went over to the sink to wet a cloth.

"No, I will be fine. I have been working so much in the past few days, and not sleeping very well." She looked at Diego with soft eyes and enjoyed the cool water he was sponging her face with. It did help calm her down, and she felt something when he looked at her before they came to the kitchen to sit down. He gave her the same deep caring look Zorro gave her when he was concerned about her. "Could he be who I am thinking of? Maybe I should ask him something only Zorro would know about, and if he tries to avoid the answer, then I know that he is Zorro." She thought to herself.

"Can I ask you a question Diego?" She looked him in the eyes and smiled carefully.

"Sure, what would you like to know?" He continued to sponge her face and arms with the rag.

"Zorro gave me something to help with pain when I sprained my ankle, but he never told me what it was called." She watched carefully for his reaction.

Diego was slow to respond, and the question she asked him led him to believe that she had figured out his secret. "How do I get around this question? She is watching me closely to see how I react. She knows that I am Zorro, but this is not the time nor the place for that discussion." Diego thought to himself and responded, "I am not sure, why don't you ask him the next time you see him." He replied slowly and uncomfortably shifted on the stool he was sitting on.

"Ha, he is trying to avoid my question, and he took too long to respond with an answer. He is Zorro." Victoria thought to herself.

"I will ask him the next time I see him, but he is so unpredictable." She gave him another long look of wonder.

"Why are you asking about a pain remedy anyway? Are you in pain?" Diego collected himself from her previous question and looked at her worriedly.

"No, it is not for me, it is for a few patients the doctor is currently treating for injuries. I just thought that if it helped me, it could help them." She noticed the worried look on his face and smiled. "I feel better now, but I think I will go lie down after all. It has been a very busy day. I need to get a good night's sleep, but I need to have someone watch Pablo for me." She reached up to touch his arm lightly. She noticed that he shivered just as Zorro does when she touched him.

"Who is Pablo?" Diego questioned her.

"He is a young boy Zorro found earlier today near that stagecoach robbery. His parents are both recovering from head injuries, so I agreed to watch him when Zorro brought him here. He is well behaved and is very helpful when help is needed." She watched Diego closely as she told him about the young boy.

"He can stay with me while I work on the next edition of the newspaper." Diego offered with a smile.

"Are you sure you don't mind? His parents are going to be staying here in a guest room until they recover. I will need to have someone help me move them into their room after I close for the day. Can you help me with that?" She smiled at him.

"Sure, I can help with that also. Just send for me when you are ready to bring them over here, and I will be right over." Diego replied and patted her arm lightly. "Do you want me to help you to your room?" His face was covered with concern. It was not like Victoria to be ill, she was usually in good health.

"No, I can make it on my own, but if you don't mind letting Pilar know that I am going to rest for a little while, that would be a big help." Victoria looked him in the eyes and saw her masked love staring back at her. She swayed a little when she stood up and felt Diego reach out to steady her.

It took her a few minutes to reach her room, but she was able to walk on her own. She did not want to draw any attention to herself or Diego, just in case others around them started to think there might be more than friendship between them.

Diego went over to Pilar to let her know that Victoria went to her room to rest for a little bit. "She is fine, the heat was getting to her, and she told me that she has not been sleeping well lately." Diego said when he saw the concerned look on Pilar's face. She nodded and went back to her orders. "Please come get me if she needs anything. I will be working on the newspaper or at the doctor's office." Diego said with a smile before he left the Tavern


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Diego Meets Pablo's Parents**

Diego went over to the doctor's office to check on the two patients the doctor was caring for. He was not a doctor, but he did help with new remedies that he read about in his science books and some information that he learned through experiments.

The doctor also knew his secret, so he knew he could trust him with the pain remedy Victoria asked about.

"Ah, Diego, I was wondering when you would get here. I need to ask you a question. Please follow me." The doctor smiled and led the way into a dark and quiet room. The doctor lit a few candles and carefully set them down on a near by table. He led Diego over to a chair, and invited him to have a seat. The doctor pulled a chair over to sit across from Diego.

"Could you please tell me what you know of the robbery this morning? The alcalde said Zorro was to blame, but you and I both know that is not the truth." The doctor spoke quietly and winked at Diego.

Diego told the doctor what he found when he was looking for clues, "Something did not feel right when I was looking around the fallen stage-coach for tracks. There were too many tracks and some led in strange directions. Almost like it was planned by someone that knew this family was going to be traveling that road this morning. De Soto has not been seen or heard from all day. I wonder what he is up to now." Diego rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger and concentrated on his thoughts as he looked at the floor.

"I will go out and look at the stage-coach closer tonight. If I find anything that is curious, I will let you know." Diego replied quietly and looked at the doctor.

"Thank you Diego. I need to check on my patients." The doctor said as he left the quiet room.

Diego followed him into a room next door. He saw a young boy curled up next to a woman on the small bed. The boy was asleep, and the woman was singing to herself and her son.

"I see he went to sleep. He needed to rest, but he would not relax until he saw his mother. His father is in the room next door. He is still sleeping, and has been awake for about an hour the whole day." The doctor informed Diego while they watched the women and young boy from the doorway.

The woman noticed they were standing there and looked up. "Hello doctor, Pablo just went to sleep, he was so tired." Rosemary said with a smile and pulled her son closer to her.

"I am pleased to see that he is resting. This is Don Diego. He is a friend of Zorro's." The doctor introduced Diego to Rosemary.

"Pleased to meet you." Diego smiled and greeted Rosemary.

"I am Rosemary, and this is my son Pablo. He said Zorro told him that you would take him for a ride on one of your horses, and that you were a friend of his." Rosemary said with a smile.

Diego smiled and replied, "Yes, Zorro is a friend of mine. I can take him out for a ride on one of my horses when things settle down." Diego came into the room and pulled a stool up next to the bed. "Till then, maybe you can tell me what happened this morning." Diego gave her a soft smile.

She looked at Diego with fear in her eyes. "You are safe here, and did Pablo tell you that Zorro caught the banditos that robbed your family?" Diego patted her lightly on the arm to reassure her that she was safe.

"Yes, Pablo told me that four men were tied to their horses with Z's carved into the seat of their pants. I would like to thank Zorro personally, but the doctor has told me that he is very unpredictable and is only seen when help is needed." Rosemary looked at both Diego and the doctor.

"The doctor has told you right, but he has also been known to take time to check on those he has helped to safety. He might be back later tonight. He stopped me on my way into the pueblo, and asked me if I could help him with some details about this morning. He needed me to ask you some questions." Diego replied with a friendly smile.

"What does he need to know?" Rosemary asked Diego with a quick smile and looked down at her son.

"Whatever you can tell us. He said that Pablo told him what he saw, but there might be something more you can tell us to help figure out who is behind the robbery." Diego replied with a trusting smile.

"Ok, I will tell you what I saw, but I can only remember part of what happened." She paused and began to relive the robbery. "Four banditos came from behind the stage-coach and threw the driver onto the ground. They stopped the horses and pulled my husband out first, when they pulled me out Pablo yelled at the banditos to leave us alone. They pulled Pablo out and threw him roughly to the ground. I saw Juan, my husband, try to fight the men, but they hit him hard on the head and knocked him out. While Juan was fighting the men, Pablo and I moved away from the stage-coach slowly. Once we were away from the fighting, we hid in the trees, but I fell and I cannot remember anything else after that. I woke up here under the doctor's care." Rosemary smiled slowly at the doctor and looked at Diego with fear in her eyes.

"Thank you for helping us, and I am sorry to have had to ask you to relive such a painful memory, and please remember that you can trust us." Diego gave her a soft and trusting smile. "I do have something that will help with your pain. I will bring it with me when we move you and your family over to your guest room at the Tavern." Diego gave her a reassuring smile and stood up. "If you need anything or remember anything else that might help, the doctor knows how to find me." Diego turned to leave the room, but stopped in the doorway. "When Pablo wakes up, he can come over to the newspaper office or the Tavern. That is where I can usually be found." He smiled and left the room.

Diego checked on Juan before leaving the doctor's office. The doctor gave Diego a quick nod and began to prepare some hot water to make some tea.

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Diego rode home to get some of his cactus tea and an ointment to help with cuts.

"Father, when did you get home?" Diego was surprised to see his father sitting at his desk working on the account book.

Alejandro looked up and noticed that Diego looked worried and tired. "We have only been back for about an hour. I hope your day has been better than mine. We could have used your help. Felipe went right to his room to rest, and he is still sleeping." Alejandro replied.

"My day has been busy. I rested, finished a painting, investigated a stage-coach robbery, and I still need to work on the newspaper." Diego stretched his arms and yawned.

"A stage-coach robbery? When did that happen?" Alejandro questioned him.

"This morning, father, and I helped with the investigation. I found out that Zorro rescued a young boy and his mother close to the fallen stage-coach. I went to ask them some questions, and they told me what happened. They are recovering well and will be staying at the Tavern tonight," Diego told his father quickly.

"Well, you have been busy, and that would explain why I saw Zorro running by the horse stables around noon today. He looked like he was in a hurry." Alejandro looked at Diego.

"I also saw four banditos tied to their horses come into to the pueblo with Z's carved into the seat of their pants." Diego told his father as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"What would we do without Zorro?" Alejandro shook his head and smiled.

"I am not sure, but I need to get back to the Tavern. I am helping Victoria get her guests settled into their room after she closes the Tavern for the day." Diego stood up to leave.

"I think I am going to rest for a little bit, and maybe go to bed early tonight." Alejandro yawned and stood up to go to his room.

"Rest well, father," Diego said as his father was about to close his bedroom door.

"I will, and be careful if you are out late tonight." Alejandro said with a yawn.

"I will be careful father." Diego replied and went to Zorro's cave to get the cactus tea and ointment. He packed Zorro's clothes just in case they were needed.

Diego went to wake Felipe. "I need to go into the pueblo, and Zorro might be needed. Could you keep Toronado close just in case I need him?" Felipe rubbed his eyes and nodded his head. "I will be at the Tavern." Diego smiled at Felipe and left quickly.

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Diego rode back to the pueblo. He took the tea and ointment to the doctor. "This will help with pain and sleep. If you need more, I can show you how I made it and then you can make it on your own." Diego told the doctor carefully as he gave the medicine to the doctor.

"Thank you Diego, I will make good use of it." The Doctor said with a wink and smile.

"I need to go help Victoria prepare a room for Pablo and his family, then we will be back to help them move into a more comfortable bed at the Tavern." Diego smiled at the Doctor and quickly left for the Tavern.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Diego and Victoria Talk**

When Diego walked into the Tavern, he saw Victoria sitting at a table eating dinner. "Do feel like having some company?" Diego asked her quietly and sat down across from her. A smile was on his face, but thoughts of worry still bothered him.

"I would like some company. I needed to talk to you anyway." Victoria gave him a tired smile.

"Did you rest well?" Diego asked her with concern in his voice.

"Not really, I have had a lot on my mind lately." She replied with a quick glance at the curtain.

"Do you want to talk about what is bothering you? We are friends, and you know you can trust me to keep a secret." Diego gave her a soft smile.

"It would make me feel better, and I do know for a fact that you can keep a secret." Victoria looked at Diego quickly with wonder. She really wanted to tell him she knew his secret, and the longer she waited, the more it ate at her mind. "It is really a conversation I need to have with Zorro. I can tell you this much though, I have feelings for another man. I still love Zorro, but he is so busy and the day he can unmask may never come. I need to sort my feelings out and try to show him that the time has come for me to move on with my life." Victoria gave Diego a smile that she only gave Zorro. The kind of smile that melted his heart, and caused him to hold himself back from pulling her close to him and kissing her sweet lips. If he had his mask on he would be holding her now, instead of trying to control his emotions toward her.

"I think she knows my secret. I need to tell her how I truly feel about her. About how much I need her in my life, and each day I wait to tell her may be my last chance if the alcalde gets lucky." Diego thought to himself as he stared at her with a Zorro like smile on his face.

Victoria noticed the Zorro like smile and reached over to hold his hand. He was staring at her with those amazing blue eyes that her masked love used against her when he wanted to steal a kiss from her. He reached over to hold her other hand and began to rub the back of her hand with his thumb. Her heart was racing, and the feeling of his touch made it hard to stay on the other side of the table.

"Victoria we need to talk about something that has been keeping us apart for far too long." Diego searched her eyes carefully. This was the day Diego was waiting for, but he was hoping to tell her after Zorro's services were no longer needed. She figured his secret out, and now he had to make sure she was safe from the alcalde and his dirty tricks. "Please don't get angry with me. I kept my secret from you to protect you, and now that you know, I have to be even more careful when Zorro is needed."

"You can trust me, and please don't worry about the alaclde. If he tries to get the identity of Zorro out of me, I will tell him I don't know who is behind that black mask." Victoria tried to reassure him with a smile, but frowned when she saw his worried expression.

"Victoria I have wanted to tell you just how much I love you for a while. When the alcalde arrested you and my father, I knew I had to do something to free you. I couldn't leave you in the alcalde's dirty jail very long, and I had to make sure I did not get caught. That is when Zorro made his first appearance, also when you fell in love with my alter ego. I was hoping you would fall in love with the real me, and not Zorro."

"Diego, I need to tell you something," Victoria searched his face and continued, "When you first walked into my tavern after returning home from Spain, I felt something between us."

Diego gazed deep into her eyes and squeezed her hands gently. He shifted around to the other side of the table and sat down next to her. He carefully pulled his hands free from hers, and reached up to cradle her head in his left hand, and caressed the right side of her face with his right hand. Victoria shivered with excitement when Diego pulled her closer and kissed her hungrily. Diego had to pull away from Victoria before he lost control of his tightly reined emotions. Victoria was confused when Diego slowly moved back over to the other side of the table.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked him and frowned.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that I really want to keep your reputation intact." Diego blushed a little at the look she gave him when he explained himself.

Victoria reached for his hands and leaned over the table to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Diego was still worried about Victoria's safety, and he knew they would both need to be very careful from this point forward. He would need to make sure she understood how to deal with him and his alter ego so they could live a somewhat normal and happy life until Zorro could unmask.

There was a knock at the Tavern door and both Diego and Victoria jumped at the sound. They both blushed when they noticed their interlocked hands. They stared into each other's eyes a second longer as if to say, I love you.

Victoria was the first to snap out of the stare. "Will I be seeing a special someone later tonight?" Victoria asked with a sly smile.

"I am not sure yet, but if there is a need of his services, he will be close by to help." Diego said with a wicked grin.

"There was another knock at the Tavern door. "That is probably the doctor. We need to get Pablo and his family settled into their room, and then maybe we can talk more later tonight." Diego smiled and winked at her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Diego Surprises Victoria**

Victoria went to prepare the guest room, and Diego answered the door. A young boy stood on the other side. "You must be Pablo." Diego gave the boy a warm smile. "I am Don Diego. Your mother told me about you when I went to see her and your father at the doctor's office." He motioned with his hand for Pablo to come in and sit down. "Victoria will be back soon. She is preparing your room for the next few nights." Diego finished saying as he sat down.

"Are you really Zorro's friend?" Pablo's eyes were big and bright with excitement.

"Yes I am, and I was told that you were promised a ride on Toronado." Diego smiled at the boy warmly.

"He said he would take me for a ride, and that if I needed anything, I could ask you for help." The excitement left his eyes and turned to worry.

"What do you need help with?" Concern crossed his face.

"It is not for me really, but for Papa. He is not doing well, and Mama keeps telling me that he will be fine. But he sleeps a lot, and has not eaten much." Pablo looked down at the floor.

"Your father will be fine, sleep is good for him, and the more sleep he gets now, the faster he will heal." Diego felt sad for the boy.

"How do you know he will be alright?" Pablo asked as a few tears slid down his face.

"He is a strong person and can pull through this pain with all the love and care he has around him." Diego gave Pablo a small smile.

Diego looked at Pablo carefully, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"I don't mind." Pablo replied quietly.

"How old are you?" Diego asked softly.

Pablo was slow to reply, "I am 8, but my birthday is next month."

Diego thought about how to approach the subject of family strength so Pablo could understand.

"When I was your age, I had to be strong for my family. My mother died when I was young, so my father and I depended on each other for support. You are blessed to have both you Mother and Father around to help you, and now it is your turn to help them. They need you to be strong for them so they can heal quicker." Diego carefully explained in a gentle tone.

"How can I help them?" Pablo asked with curiosity.

"I find that prayer makes difficult situations easier to deal with. I sometimes talk to a friend about how I feel and what I could do to make the situation better. If talking about what happened makes you feel better, I am here to listen and help you in anyway needed." Diego reassured Pablo with a friendly smile.

"I told Zorro and Victoria what happened earlier today." Pablo replied with a shaky tone.

"I understand that it is difficult to talk about, but at least you have talked to someone about it." Diego frowned a little at the sad look on the young boys face.

Diego felt like he needed to help Pablo more, but he didn't want to upset the young boy anymore today.

"How about we get you something to eat and drink. Food sometimes helps calm the nerves and mind." Diego smiled and softly patted Pablo on the forearm.

Diego lead Pablo to the kitchen and put a few slices of bread on a plate. He poured a glass of juice and carried it to a table in the dinner room. Pablo sat down and began to eat his snack quietly. "If you need anything else just let me know." Diego patted Pablo on the shoulder.

"Thank you for keeping me company, and helping me understand how I can help my family." Pablo replied between bites of bread.

"You are welcome, and remember your family needs you to be strong." Diego gently reminded Pablo as he pulled out his pocket watch.

Diego looked at his pocket watch and noticed that it was getting late and the sun would soon be setting. "I need to check on Victoria, and then we can go see your Mother and Father. Once you are all settled into your room, you will rest much better." Diego patted the boy on the arm and went upstairs to check on Victoria.

He found Victoria in the guest room at the top of the stairs. "Do you need some help?" Diego asked her with a smile.

"Oh, Diego, you startled me," Victoria jumped a little as she turned around to look at Diego.

"Sorry to startle you. Do you need some help?" Diego entered the room and moved slowly over to Victoria. His eyes were watching her closely.

The slow smile that spread across his handsome face made Victoria tingle all over.

"Actually, yes, I could use some help. Can you please go downstairs and get the spare cot I keep in the storage closet? Pablo can sleep on the cot so he is warm and comfortable." Victoria smiled sweetly back at him. She was trying to hold herself back from running into his arms. She wanted to kiss him, but that would have to wait until Pablo and his family were settled in for the night.

Diego could see that Victoria was holding onto her emotions. He wanted to pull her closer to him, to wrap his arms around her soft and tiny frame. "I will get it as soon as I give this to you," Diego reached out to pull her close to him, and leaned his head down slightly. With a swift movement Victoria found herself lost in his kiss.

Diego moved her slowly away from him a few minutes later and gazed deeply into her eyes. "I want to show you just how much I love you." Diego sat Victoria carefully on the bed and went down on one knee. He pulled the ring Zorro had given her a year ago, out of his pocket. "Victoria, it would be an honor to be your husband, and you my wife. Will you marry me?" Diego held his mothers ring up so Victoria could see that he truly did love her.

Victoria felt a tingle of excitement jolt through her. The look he gave her was full of love, and his eyes danced with wonder. "Yes Diego, I will marry you." A huge smile on her face, and her small shaking hands that were still being held within his larger hands gave her nervousness away.

As Diego slid his mother's ring onto her finger, he kissed each finger softly. "As your husband, I promise to protect you, cherish you, and honor you with all my heart." Diego said with a loving and promising smile.

"I love you Diego, and as your wife I promise to protect you, cherish you, and honor you will all my heart." Victoria looked at Diego with loving eyes.

"I love you so much Victoria," Diego pulled her up into his arms and stood up quickly. He kissed her deeply, and was losing control of his emotions. He knew he needed to stop before they gave into their emotions.

Diego pulled away and carefully set her down on her feet. "We need to marry soon, I do not know how much longer I can resist you." Diego tried to catch his breath and calm his emotions.

Victoria reached up to brush her lips across his cheek and over to his ear. "I do not want to wait until we are married," she kissed his ear lightly. She felt him shiver with understanding. He knew what she wanted, they both wanted it.

Diego moved her carefully away from him and looked into her brown eyes. "Then we need to go talk to the Padre and get married tonight or in the morning." He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"The sooner the better," she replied with a sly smile.

They both calmed their emotions, and finished preparing the room for Pablo and his family.

When Pablo and his family were resting comfortably in their room about an hour later, Diego and Victoria sat down at a table and talked about how they were going to explain the sudden love connection between them. Diego knew he had to tell his father about his alter ego, but that was a problem he had to take care of himself. They agreed that Alejandro should be informed of their engagement and Zorro's true identity the next day. Victoria came up with a plan to convince the people that she was tired of waiting for Zorro, and needed to move on with her life. She did feel something deeper than friendship toward Diego. She felt the connection when he entered her Tavern the first time when he returned home from Spain.

"How long do you think we should wait until we marry?" Victoria looked at him with questioning eyes.

Diego pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead. "We can talk to the Padre in the morning. He already knows my secret and has heard all about how much I love you." He smiled at her and kissed her lips quickly.

They did not realize that an hour had passed since they began working on their plan. When Victoria noticed how late it was, she invited him to stay in the guest room next to her room. Diego agreed to stay, but made no promises he would be able to stay in his room for the whole night. "I do not know if I can stay away from you for very long, knowing that you are in the room just next to mine," Diego gave her a Zorro smile and pulled her into a tight hug, and gave her a sly smile. His eyes danced with excitement, and they felt the spark between them grow stronger.

They were about to say good night to each other when Victoria grabbed his hand. She moved closer to him and gave him a kiss that made his already weak control slip away. They were trying to fight the urge of going upstairs, but Victoria found it was hard to resist the hot feelings she felt when Diego touched her.

Diego picked her up quickly and went up the stairs to Victoria's room. They lost control of their emotions and slept in each other's arms until the sun rose the next morning.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Unwanted Guests**

Victoria woke up the next morning and found herself lying on Diego's muscular chest. She was warm and comfortable, she snuggled closer to him and tried to go back to sleep. The sun was just about to rise and thoughts of the night before played back in her mind. Diego was sleeping peacefully, and his gentle snoring helped relax her.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Someone was pounding on the Tavern doors. Victoria jumped when she heard the pounding. Diego woke up with a start and protectively pulled Victoria closer to him. He sat up slightly and looked around the room with searching eyes.

"Diego, I need to go answer the door," Victoria said quietly as she pulled herself out of his tight arms.

"Who do you think it is?" Diego questioned her. He wiped sleep from his eyes and loosened his arm around Victoria so she could sit up.

"That is probably Pilar and Maria. We over slept. Look, the sun is almost up." She pointed out the window.

"You go answer the door and I will go to the room that I was supposed to sleep in last night." Diego gave her a wicked smile and kissed her quickly.

They both got dressed, and as Victoria went downstairs to answer the door, Diego followed behind her to go to his room.

When Victoria opened the door, two men with masks covering the lower part of their faces greeted her with swords drawn. She was about to scream, but the taller of the two banditos ran into the Tavern and put his dirty hand over her mouth.

"If you scream, we will kill you. Now listen closely, we need you go upstairs and get all the valuables and cash you have. If you try to get away, we will kill you." Victoria could only nod her head. The bandito's dirty hand still covered her mouth and his other arm was holding her arms to her sides.

The shorter bandito looked around downstairs and the taller bandito took Victoria upstairs to look around. The bandito with Victoria looked all over the bedroom for something to put in her mouth. Victoria was trying to bite and kick him, she was getting harder to hold onto. He found one of her skirts in the corner of the room and ripped a few strips off. He gagged her, and tied her hands and feet together so he could search for valuables.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Diego heard a strange noise coming from downstairs. He quietly opened his door and looked down over the railing. He saw two men with masks covering the lower part of their faces. He heard Victoria fighting them as one of the men grabbed her so she would stay quiet.

"I need to change into Zorro's clothes before they hurt Victoria." Diego grabbed the bundle of black clothing he shoved under the bed the night before, and quickly changed into his alter ego. Zorro crept out of the guest room and slowly opened the door to Victoria's room. As he entered the room, he motioned for Victoria to stay quiet. The bandito did not see or hear the door open, and when he turned around with a handful of valuables, Zorro punched him in the jaw.

Victoria sat on her bed helplessly. She tried to untie the knots, but the bandito had her hands tied to tight. She was also hoping that Pablo and his family were still sleeping. She wanted them to stay safe and out of harms way.

"Victoria, are you alright?" Zorro asked with worry in his eyes. He untied her hands and feet, removed the gag, and checked her over for injuries. Her wrists and ankles were red and sore from being tied so tightly together.

"I am fine," she ran into his arms for comfort. They hugged for a few moments and broke apart.

"I need to take care of the other bandito downstairs, do you mind helping me tie this one up so he can't get away?" Zorro asked her as he tossed some rope over to her.

"No, I don't mind at all." She grabbed the rope and tied the bandito's hands together as Zorro tied the bandito's feet together. They put one of the gags from Victoria's skirts in his mouth so he would stay quiet.

"You go check on Pablo and his family, I am going downstairs to take care of his friend." Zorro pointed to the now tied up bandito on the floor.

"Please be careful," Victoria kissed him on the cheek quickly and went to check on her guests. She found Pablo next to the window watching the sunrise and the people now gathering outside for the market day. Rosemary and Juan were sitting up in bed talking about the busy day ahead them.

"Victoria, so nice to see you." Rosemary greeted Victoria with a warm smile.

"I am happy to see that you slept well last night," Victoria replied as she came into the room carefully. Victoria must have looked worried.

"What was all that noise downstairs and down the hall?" Juan asked her.

"That is what I came to tell you about," Victoria looked at each of them carefully. "We have two banditos in the Tavern. Zorro took care of one of them, but the other is downstairs. Zorro is now dealing with him." A worried look crossed her face again.

"Can we go down and watch the fight? Please Mama." Pablo begged his mother.

"I don't know if it would be safe for you to leave the room," Rosemary told her son.

They could hear steel fighting steel downstairs in the dining room.

"He will be safe as long as he stays upstairs and watches from the railing," Victoria told Rosemary with a careful smile.

"Alright, but stay out of the way." Rosemary said as her son gave her a huge hug.

Victoria and Pablo watched Zorro defeat the second bandito quickly. Pablo was excited that he could watch his masked hero in action. His face lit up when Zorro parried and danced around the bandito until he was up against the wall.

Zorro tied the second bandito up just like he did with first earlier, and came up to greet his young fan.

"Thank you for saving my family, Zorro." Pablo said as Zorro knelt down in front of him.

"You are very welcome, and now I must go before the alcalde gets here." Zorro gave Pablo a quick smile and disappeared out the guest room window next to Victoria's room.

Zorro was out of sight when the alcalde and his lancers came through the Tavern doors.

"Where is that bandit?" De Soto yelled as he came into the Tavern.

"You just missed him, Alcalde." Victoria said with a big smile on her face.

"Mendoza, search the Tavern. Zorro is around here somewhere." The Alcalde stared coldly at Victoria. "Lancers take this one to my jail, and after he is locked up, search the pueblo."

De Soto turned on his heel and left the Tavern. Mendoza did not find Zorro anywhere, however he was surprised to see Don Diego in one of the guest rooms.

"Hola sergeant, what a wonderful morning," Diego greeted Mendoza with a smile.

"Hola Don Diego. Why did you stay here over night?" Mendoza asked Diego in a confused tone.

"It was late before we could get some special guests settled into their room. They are patients of the doctor, and needed to be moved slowly and carefully. I was not going to ride home in the dark; you never know who you might find out on the dark trails." Diego gave Mendoza a small smile.

"Good thinking, Don Diego," Mendoza replied with a thoughtful look. "I need to search the other guest rooms, you know, just in case Zorro is still here." Mendoza closed the door to Diego's room quietly.

"Good luck with your search, Sergeant," Diego said just loud enough for Mendoza to hear before the door was completely closed.

Mendoza found the bandito tied up and gagged in Victoria's room, he left a few minutes later dragging the bandito behind him.

Pablo came running into Diego's room with an excited expression dancing on his face. "Guess who I just saw?" Pablo was practically jumping with excitement.

"Who did you see? Wait, let me guess, Zorro?' Diego said with a smile.

"Yes, and I watched him fight. He was amazing. He defeated the banditos so fast and he even came up to see me before he left." Pablo said quickly before he forgot what he wanted to say.

"Well, that is great news, and yes he is a great swordsman. We are lucky to have him here in Los Angeles." Diego gave Pablo a pat on the shoulder. "I was thinking about taking you for a ride today, and then you and your parents can join my father and I for lunch at our hacienda." Diego stood up after he finished putting his boots on.

"That would be great, and maybe Zorro can join us since he is your friend." Pablo asked hopefully.

"Zorro is a busy man, but we might see him, and if we do, maybe he will take you for a ride on his amazing horse named Toronado." Diego lead Pablo downstairs and gave him a quick smile. He watched the boy sit down at a table in the corner and wait for his parents to get dressed and come down for breakfast.

Diego went to the kitchen and found Victoria making a list of the damaged items that needed to be fixed before she could open to the public. He was not surprised to see the mess in the kitchen, "Do you want some help cleaning this mess up?" He asked her with a small smile. "I did have something to do with this mess, and I feel bad for that." Some of her spice shelves were broken and glass was all over the floor. Some of the dishes were shattered, and some of the supplies in the corner closet had been cut open. Sugar and flour was covering the floor in a thin layer, it was difficult to walk without falling.

Felipe came running into the kitchen and stopped before he reached the flour and sugar covered floor around the counter tops. The look in his eyes was enough to tell Diego that he was worried about his father like figure. "I am fine Felipe; please tell father that we will be having four guests for lunch today." Diego gave his son like figure a smile.

Felipe nodded his head and left quickly.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Diego asked as he knelt down and began to pick up the glass around him. He gave her a wicked grin and smiled at the thought of the love they shared the night before.

"Yes, I did sleep well, but this morning was not a very good start to the day." She smiled and winked at him.

"I can make that up to you later if you wish me to do so." Diego gave her a playful smile.

"I will not be able to fix breakfast, the broken shelves need to be fixed, and I need to restock some of my supplies before I can reopen to big crowds." Victoria looked around her kitchen with sad eyes.

"Please do not worry about that for now, we can go to the hacienda for the day. I am sure your customers will understand if you are closed for one day." He stood up and reached for her hands carefully. He pulled her close to him for a hug and quick kiss.

"Ouch," Victoria cried as Diego touched her wrists.

"I am sorry Victoria; I forgot to put something on your wrists. Do they hurt much?" Diego's concerned look made her melt into his arms.

"Only when they are touched or something is rubbing over them." Victoria looked up at Diego as he carefully pulled a cloth out of his pocket. She saw that it was a torn strip of her skirt that was used to gag one of the banditos.

"Sit down and I will take care of those burns and cover them so they can heal." Diego lead her over to a chair next to the sink.

"This might sting a little, hold still." Diego looked at her wrists closely. "I need to get the ointment from the doctor's office." He put his hands on her face lightly, and looked for cuts, scratches, bumps, and bruises. "I will be right back mi amor." He kissed her forehead. Diego left the kitchen and was back quickly. "Pablo went to the doctor's office to get my special ointment. It will help with the pain and swelling." Diego gave her a loving smile.

Diego began to clean her burned wrists with cool water and a soft cloth. The cool water felt good, and Diego's soft touch helped calm her down.

"Here is the ointment you asked for." Pablo came running through the curtain and over to Diego.

"Thank you Pablo, you are a great helper." Diego reached for the ointment. "We will be having lunch at the hacienda; could you please have someone bring some horses and a wagon around to the front of the Tavern?" Diego asked with a smile.

"Si, Papa and I can do that." Pablo stood up straight and puffed his chest out.

"Thank you, and before we have lunch, we can go for a ride to see the cattle." Diego gave the boy a big smile.

"I will see you in a few minutes," Pablo ran out of the kitchen with an excited smile covering his face.

Diego cleaned and covered the burns on Victoria's wrists. Pablo, Rosemary, Juan, and Victoria climbed up into the wagon a few minutes later. Diego rode his mare, and stayed close to the wagon, and only went ahead to make sure the road was safe. Juan took control of the wagon reins and two miles later they were at the De La Vega hacienda.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Lunch at the De La Vega's**

"Thank you, Felipe, "Victoria gave her soon to be son like figure, a smile as he helped her down from the wagon.

Pablo jumped down and ran over to Diego. "Can we please go for a ride before lunch?" They young boys eyes begged.

"Only if your parents say it is alright." Diego looked at Pablo and then at his parents.

"You can go, but don't be too long. You need to clean up before lunch." Juan told his son.

Pablo jumped up and down with excitement. "Thank you Papa," the boy replied as Diego pulled him up into the saddle and put his arm around the boy's waist to steady him.

"We will only ride around the hacienda and be right back." Diego told the small group as he nudged his mare gently forward.

"Hold on tight," Diego told the boy when the mare began to move faster.

Victoria led Rosemary, and Juan into the hacienda. Don Alejandro showed them to the dining room. "Where is Diego?" Alejandro asked Victoria.

"Diego and Pablo are riding around the hacienda. They will be back for lunch soon." She replied and sat down.

"I hope they get back soon, I need to ask Diego about why he stays out so late and where he goes." Alejandro shook his head.

"He stayed at the Tavern last night. He helped me get Rosemary, Juan, and Pablo settled into their room. It was dark and very late, so I offered him the spare guest room I had so he would not be traveling home in the dark." Victoria explained to Alejandro.

"Thank you for looking out for his safety." Alejandro gave Victoria a small smile, but something still bothered him. She could tell that he was not totally convinced with what she had told him.

Diego and Pablo returned and joined the small gathering for lunch twenty minutes later. Over lunch they talked about the early morning robbery they had to deal with.

They went to the library after they ate. "Father, please excuse me, I think I forgot something in the stables." Diego stood up and left the room with a polite smile.

Victoria watched Diego leave the room and wondered what he was up to. She jumped up and followed behind him. "I need some fresh air." She quickly said as she went to the garden.

Diego was just about to turn the corner of the hacienda when Victoria called his name. "Diego, wait up for me," Victoria walked over to him carefully watching out for the rose bushes. "Where are you going?" She asked him with curiosity.

"I am going to take Pablo for a ride." He reached for her hands and held them gently.

"You already did." She questioned him.

"Diego took him for a ride, but Zorro still needs to keep his promise." Diego smiled at her.

"Can I help you get ready?" Victoria smiled at him slyly.

"Only if you promise to behave yourself until after our company is ready to go back to the Tavern." Diego gave her a wicked grin.

"Can you promise to behave yourself as well?" She teased him.

"Only if you can keep your promise." He smiled at her with a sly grin.

"I will do my best to behave." She gave a smile that was full of love.

"Let's go, then. There is a young boy waiting to meet his hero." Diego flashed her a quick grin and led her to the outside entrance to the cave.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"This is where Zorro gets ready." Diego stepped on the wooden lever in the dirt. "I will show you more of the cave after our guests have returned to the Tavern." He said as he pulled her through the opening in the bushes and rocks.

Victoria was amazed at how well hidden the entrance was, but the inside was even more amazing.

"We need to keep our voices down or they might hear us on the other side of the wall." Diego gave her a quick kiss.

"Who might hear us," Victoria asked him.

"Look through this peephole and then you will see for yourself." He showed her the peephole hat he used to check to see if someone was in the library.

"That is the library in your hacienda and our guests are still talking about cows and the banditos that attacked the Tavern this morning." She turned to see what Diego was doing before she looked through the peephole again.

"Yes, it is, and I will show you how to reach this cave later, but for now we need to grant Pablo his wish." Diego pulled his shirt off and reached for Zorro's black shirt.

Victoria still found it hard to believe that Diego was Zorro, but when he was clad all in black, she found it hard not to see how she missed the most obvious things. The hair that poked out the back of the mask, his jaw line, and that smile that made her go crazy for him.

When they were ready to leave the cave, Zorro/Diego pulled Victoria close to him for a hug and kiss that only made waiting for some private time seem like it was so far away.

They both mounted Toronado and left the cave. Zorro helped Victoria down just before they reached the front door of the hacienda. "Go get Pablo, and bring him outside, I will ride up from the side of the hacienda and surprise him." Zorro instructed Victoria quickly and left to hide.

Victoria pulled her thoughts together and went in the front door.

"Victoria, we missed you." Rosemary said with a smile.

"The fresh air helped me cool down. While I was sitting in the garden, Zorro came by and asked if Pablo wanted to go for a ride on Toronado." Victoria looked at the young boy with a smile.

Pablo jumped up and ran to the front door. He pulled the door open and ran outside. Victoria, Alejandro, Rosemary, and Juan followed the excited boy.

Zorro heard the boy running out the door, and nudged Toronado forward.

"Zorro, Zorro, did you really come to take me for a ride?" Pablo asked Zorro in one breath.

"Yes, I did promise you, and I always keep my promises." He smiled at Pablo and winked at Victoria.

"Is it alright if we went for a ride, Mama?" The boy gave his mother a hopeful smile.

"Yes it's alright, but behave yourself and don't ask too many questions." Rosemary told her very excited son.

Zorro helped Pablo up onto Toronado's saddle and sat the boy in front of him so he could hold onto the saddle horn. "Hold on tightly, Toronado can get excited and carried away sometimes." Zorro warned Pablo as they began to move away from the hacienda.

Pablo waved at his parents before they went around the side of the hacienda and down a hill.

"Can we run fast?" Pablo asked Zorro when they were on flat open land.

"It would be too dangerous to go full speed, but yes we can run. You will need to hold on very tight, and I will make sure that you are safe." Zorro grinned at the boy. The smile on the Pablo's face was huge and full of life.

Zorro nudged Toronado into a slow run, and then into a faster pace that was safe for two riders.

Pablo asked Zorro about how he tracked banditos, and many other questions. Zorro answered the boy's questions with patience.

"I want to train my horse so he is like Toronado; fast, smart, and strong." Pablo exclaimed excitedly.

"What is your horse's name?" Zorro asked the boy and thought about how much Pablo reminded him of Felipe when he was a young boy.

"His name is Fire Star, he is dark brown and has a white strip down his nose." Pablo said with excitement.

"He sounds like an amazing horse." Zorro replied with a smile.

"How did you train Toronado?" The boy asked and watched Zorro closely over his shoulder.

"I found Toronado out in the wild. He was so gentle and learned quickly, but not all horses have the same temperament." Zorro softly replied and patted Pablo on the shoulder.

"Fire Star is gentle, but he likes to run when I tell him to walk, and he runs faster when I tell him to slow down." Pablo frowned a little.

Zorro knew what the boy was talking about. Toronado was difficult to train; he wanted to do the opposite also. He and Felipe had to be firm while training the now tame and famous horse.

"Ask Diego about a horse trainer. He knows of a few good trainers that are firm and kind hearted. He also has helped others with their strong willed horses." Zorro replied and thought back to how he trained and learned to deal with Tornonado's strong willed temper.

"Can you teach me how to track banditos?" Pablo asked quickly before he forgot what he wanted to ask.

"I can show you how to track animals, tracking banditos is about the same." Zorro smiled and pointed to some animal tracks he saw near a bush.

"Are those rabbit tracks? Are there more tracks made by other animals close by?" The boy asked bubbling over with excitement.

"Yes, those are rabbit tracks, and over there are fox tracks." Zorro pointed to another set of tracks close by. He also noticed a set of horse tracks close to the bush he was pointing at.

Zorro knew those horse tracks; they belonged to the alcalde's horse. I wonder why he was out here?" Fresh tracks and they lead toward the fallen stage-coach." Zorro thought to himself.

Zorro made a mental note to ask the alcalde what he was up to, and what part he played in the stage-coach robbery.

Pablo noticed Zorro was paying close attention to another set of tracks close by, "what's wrong?"

"I know those tracks, we might just have found out who is responsible for the robbery." Zorro replied slowly and quietly.

"We need to get back to your family. I need to feed and water Toronado soon." Zorro patted Pablo on the shoulder lightly.

They arrived at the De La Vega hacienda after about an hour of questions and riding.

Zorro jumped down and lifted Pablo down to the ground. "Mama, Papa that was amazing. We rode fast and Zorro answered all of my questions." Pablo told his parents when they came over to the garden opening.

Rosemary and Juan went over to Pablo who was patting Toronado on the nose.

"Thank you for allowing our son to spend some time with you. He has been looking forward to the day he could meet and ride with his hero." Juan reached out to shake Zorro's hand, a look of gratitude on his face.

"I hope he didn't ask you too many questions." Rosemary asked Zorro with a small smile.

"No, he just wanted to know how I tracked banditos, how to train his own horse to be like mine, and a few other questions that were easy to answer. He is just curious, as are most children." Zorro replied with a friendly and warm smile.

"Thank you for helping my family," Juan thanked Zorro again. He pulled his wife and Son close to him. "They mean the world to me, and if I lost them, I would be lost." A tear touched the corner of his eye, but he quickly wiped it away before his family saw it.

"You are welcome, and I do understand what you mean when you say family means everything to you." Zorro wanted to look over at his father, Felipe, and Victoria, but it was too risky. He gave Juan a quick handshake.

Victoria came over to stand next to Rosemary. "Senorita, can I please have a word with you?" Zorro reached out to kiss Victoria's hand as he asked for a moment of her time.

"Of course you can." Victoria blushed a little as Zorro led her away from the small group gathered in the garden. They went around the corner where no one could see or hear them. "We need to tell my father about our engagement and my alter ego. I have an idea, but we need to get Pablo and his family back to the Tavern before we can do anything." Zorro gave her a serious look.

"I can have Felipe take them back in your wagon and stay with them until we tell my father the news." Zorro added before he kissed her forehead. "Go tell Felipe to meet me in the cave. I will see you soon mi amor." Zorro led her back to their guests and mounted Toronado.

"Have a safe trip home and if you need anything, Victoria and the De La Vegas can supply you with anything. Adios." Zorro waved at them and left the hacienda garden.

Pablo watched Zorro ride away and waved. Zorro rode out far enough and doubled back so they would not see him enter the cave from the outside. Felipe and Victoria met him in the cave and helped him care for Toronado. Victoria talked to the stallion while Diego brushed and dried Toronado. Felipe brought fresh hay and water before checking on an experiment he and Diego were working on earlier. Diego left his black clothes on, but removed his hat, mask, and belt.

"Felipe, siesta is almost over, could you please take Pablo and his family back to the Tavern so they can rest? Victoria and I need to talk to Father, then we will meet you there. I need to gather some supplies to fix the broken shelves in Victoria's kitchen." Diego told Felipe carefully so he could understand.

Felipe nodded and wished him luck. "I hope he understands, but we will find out soon enough." Diego told his son like figure with a half smile and returned his attention to the test tube he was mixing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Diego and Victoria Share Some News With Alejandro**

Victoria waited until Felipe was gone and slowly moved over to stand behind Diego. "Now that we have some time to ourselves, do I have to behave myself?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a pouty lip when he turned around to face her.

"You did keep your promise from earlier, so why not reward you? And I have found it hard to keep my hands away from you since last night." Diego smiled wickedly and gave her a kiss that took her breath away.

"Do you think we could come back here and enjoy each other's company tonight?" Victoria gave him a sly smile. He knew what she wanted and he wanted the same thing.

"I don't see why we have to wait until tonight." Diego pulled her into a fierce hug and leaned down to kiss her sweet lips. The kiss deepened and led to them expressing the love they shared for each other in a lover's dance.

"I love you Diego," Victoria gazed into his deep blue eyes.

"Te amo me amor," Diego responded in a husky voice.

They both untangled themselves from each other and dressed. Felipe had taken Pablo and his parents back to the Tavern, and now was the time to share some news with Alejandro.

"Are you going dressed like that?" Victoria asked Diego as she noticed that he was putting his black clothes back on.

"Yes, I hope he takes the news well." He replied as he put his mask and hat on.

"Follow my lead, I have a plan to make it easier for him to understand." Zorro/ Diego took Victoria's hand and led her over to the peep hole. Nobody was in the library, so they quickly and quietly exited the fireplace. They went to the garden and waited for a few minutes so Zorro/Diego could explain his plan to Victoria.

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"Go get my father and tell him to meet you in the garden. I will stay out of sight until he is here. When he asks where I have been, I will step out and say right here father." He gave her a hopeful smile. After a quick kiss on the forehead, Zorro/Diego disappeared around the corner of the garden.

"Don Alejandro," Victoria called for him from the front door.

"In here Victoria," Alejandro called back from the dining room.

"Could I see you outside please? I need to talk to you about some ideas have for the Tavern." She said as she entered the dining room.

Alejandro had papers spread all over the table and a thick book was open in front of him.

"Sure, you can, I was thinking about taking a break anyway, and now seems to be a good time." Alejandro smiled at her pleasantly and walked her to the garden.

"Have you seen Diego? He went to get something he forgot in the stable and has not been seen since then." Alejandro gave her a questioning look. He knew something was different between his son and Victoria. At lunch they were avoiding each other, and when Diego left the room after lunch, Victoria went to the garden. Something was up and he wanted to know what was going on between them.

"Yes, I have seen him, and he is right around that corner." She pointed to Zorro's/ Diego's hiding place.

"Here I am father." Diego dressed as Zorro stepped out into view.

"That's Zorro, not Diego." Alejandro gave Victoria a confused look.

"No, father. She is right. Diego is here, but not the Diego you know." Zorro reached up to untie his mask. The mask slipped down off of his face, and his eyes never left his father's eyes.

"D….Di…Diego?" Alejandro stuttered his question out slowly.

"I am Zorro, and have kept this secret side of my life hidden from you since I have returned from Spain." Diego moved over to stand next to Victoria. He reached for her hand for support. Alejandro's eyes followed his son and noticed the two were now holding hands.

"Is that all you needed to tell me?" Alejandro eyed them closely.

"We do have one more piece of news to share with you father. " Diego looked at his boots and then Victoria. "We are engaged to be married." Diego said slowly.

Victoria noticed Diego's uneasiness and squeezed his hand gently and tenderly.

"Father, I know this is a lot to handle at one time, but we thought that it would be best to tell you before it was spread all over town." Diego said quickly before he lost his courage.

"Yes, it is a lot to handle at one time." Alejandro shook his head to understand all the news that now filled his already busy mind.

"We can talk about it more later if you need to ask questions." Diego moved over to his father, still holding onto Victoria's hand, and resting his other hand on his father's arm lightly.

"I need to go lay down." Alejandro went inside to rest. Victoria and Diego looked at each other with concern. They went back to the cave and while Diego changed into his blue suit, Victoria went to check on Alejandro.

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"How is my father?" Diego asked as Victoria came back into the cave.

"He is asleep." She replied with a small smile.

"I will send Felipe back to keep an eye on him while we are repairing the broken shelves in your kitchen." He gave her a worried look.

"Your father will be fine, once he has the answers to his questions, and understands why you hid your true self from him. You did it to protect those you love from harm." She looked up into his eyes with a soft and caring gaze.

"I know he will be alright, but I worry about the extra stress he will now be dealing with. Zorro out chasing banditos and there is always that chance of injuries or something worse." Diego gave her a sad look and turned his back to her.

"Don't think like that, and we can always keep an eye out for each other when danger is near. Please look at me Diego." He turned him around to face her. "We will be fine, and now that your father and I know your secret, we can help the people of Los Angeles learn how to stand up for themselves. Soon Zorro will not be needed, and when that day comes, the people of Los Angeles will be strong and able to defend themselves." She gave him a playful and loving smile. "You just need to put some trust in those around you and they will help in any way to protect those in need." She finished saying as she reached up on tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips.

"How did I get so lucky to fall in love with someone so special and understanding like you?" Diego smiled carefully at her and returned her tender kiss.

"How did I get so lucky to fall in love with someone so caring and strong like you?" Victoria asked him in return.

Diego could only smile and say, "We are both very lucky I guess." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, forehead, and back to her waiting lips.

"We need to get back to the Tavern before we are missed." Diego said quietly as he gently away from Victoria.

"Can we talk to the Padre?" Victoria asked Diego when he let go of her hands. He was gathering supplies so he could repair the broken shelves in her kitchen.

"Yes, I was going to talk to him anyway. I need to ask him what he uses to control the weeds in his garden. It always looks perfect and weed free." Diego replied with a grin.

Victoria left the cave to check on Alejandro before they left for town. Diego gathered the rest of the supplies he needed from the stables and work shed.

Diego put the supplies in the back of the wagon and hitched the horses. They were soon on their way to town.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Special Day and Explaintions **

The Padre was not surprised to hear that they wanted a quick wedding. He agreed to marry them in two days.

Diego and Victoria headed over to the Tavern after they made arrangements for their wedding.

"Felipe, could you please go back to the hacienda and keep an eye on my father?" Diego asked when he found his son like figure sitting at one of the tables reading a book. "I will tell you all about how he took the news when I get home." He replied to Felipe's worried look and quick signing. He watched Felipe leave and then went to work on the broken shelves and helped clean up the rest of the mess. By the time the repairs were made, it was time for dinner. Victoria fixed a quick meal and everyone ate until they were stuffed.

"Thank you for everything you have done for us." Rosemary said as she helped Victoria wash the dinner dishes.

"It was my pleasure, and now I have a question to ask you. Would you do me the honor of helping me pick something out to wear on my wedding day?" Victoria gave Rosemary a big smile.

"When are you getting married and who is this lucky man?" Rosemary asked with a curious smile.

"Diego and I are getting married in two days." Victoria said nervously.

"Congratulations! When did he ask you?" Rosemary asked with excitement.

"He asked me to marry him yesterday evening." Victoria said with a giggle. She pulled the ring Diego gave her from around her neck.

"I put it on this chain until we told his father." Victoria explained as she carefully took the ring off the chain and slid it onto her ring finger. "It was his mother's."

News of Victoria's and Diego's engagement and upcoming wedding was the talk of the evening. Plans were quickly made and the next two days were very busy.

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The day before the wedding, Diego wanted to know how the alcalde was involved with the stage-coach robbery.

Diego found himself in the cave preparing to ride to the pueblo to follow the lead he discovered while out with Pablo.

Victoria was not happy about his plan, but understood that it was his job to protect the people from injustice.

"Please be careful, the alcalde is in a bad mood." Victoria warned Diego while he changed into his black outfit.

"I will be careful; I need to find out why our esteemed alcalde attacked an innocent family." Diego replied quickly while tying the last knot of his black mask. He reached for his hat and sword, but found himself holding Victoria's hands instead. She was holding his hat and heavy sword, which was about to slip out of her small hands. He quickly took the sword from her and belted it around his waist. Victoria gave him his hat and reached up on tip toes to kiss him softly before he left the cave.

"I will be waiting for you, when you get back we need to make sure all the wedding plans are done and ready for tomorrow." She slyly smiled at him.

Her smile was tempting; he mounted Toronado and saluted her as he exited the cave. He needed to clear his mind before approaching the alcalde, he nudged Toronado to move faster so the fresh air blew in his face.

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Zorro found himself climbing up the wall of the cortel and onto the roof. He watched the alcalde from above, through the window he normally used to drop in on the alcalde. He slowly opened the roof window and lowered himself quietly down until he was standing behind De Soto. De Soto did not hear him and was still reading his book on swordsmanship when Zorro unsheathed his sword and pointed it at De Soto's back. The alcalde froze quickly, and then slowly turned around to find his masked enemy standing behind him.

"Zorro, how dare you come in here, my men will catch you this time." De Soto hissed through his teeth.

"Guards." The alcalde yelled, just before Zorro pushed the point of his sword a little closer to De Soto throat.

Two lancers came running in through the front door, and stopped when they saw Zorro had the alcalde at sword point.

"I was hoping to have a private conversation with the alcalde." Zorro smiled at the two lancers and slowly moved around the desk, keeping his sword pointed at De Soto.

"Get him men." De Soto growled.

The lancers looked at De Soto and then at Zorro. They didn't want to deal with Zorro or the trouble they knew they would be in if they didn't follow the alcalde's orders. They froze and stared at both Zorro and De Soto.

"Well, just don't stand there, get him." De Soto yelled.

"You heard him, come get me." Zorro gave them a wicked smile, and moved closer to the lancers. Zorro made sure De Soto was reminded that he was still being watched by tapping the desk with his sword when he moved to get away. "I have eyes in the back of my head alcalde, stay where you are." Zorro growled so De Soto could

heard him.

De Soto stopped in his tracks. Zorro turned around to smile wickedly at his enemy, De Soto shifted uncomfortably from side to side. The alcalde yelled at his lancers, "get back here you cowards." His lancers had taken advantage of Zorro not paying attention to them and slipped out of the door and ran away.

"Well alcalde, it looks like it is just you and I." Zorro smiled and guided him back to his seat. The alcalde sat down and leaned back in his chair hoping to put more space between Zorro's sword point and himself. Zorro sat on the edge of the desk and began to ask the questions that were most important.

"I know you had something to do with that stage-coach robbery. Tell me what part you played and then I will leave you alone for now." Zorro moved the tip of his sword closer to the alcalde.

"I don't know what you mean. I had nothing to do with that robbery." De Soto pleaded poorly.

"Don't lie to me Alcalde, or I will have to inform the King of Spain that his attention is needed here." Zorro growled low and moved the tip of his sharp blade to De Soto's neck.

De Soto began to sweat and squirmed in his seat. "Alright alright, I let four men out of my jail to trap you. I know you have a weakness when innocent people are in danger. When you didn't show up I had to make sure I covered my tracks so I went out and covered any evidence I could find to keep you from thinking I had anything to do with it." De Soto spit out quickly in an angry tone.

"Now, now Alcalde you know better than that. Anytime something goes wrong and innocent people are hurt, I know you are behind it somehow." Zorro smiled wickedly and stood up slowly. He circled around the corner of the desk and stopped behind De Soto. De Soto looked very nervous as Zorro's sword stayed close to his neck and squirmed until he was almost flat against the back of his chair.

"You have frightened an innocent family and harmed them needlessly. The King will hear about this injustice." Zorro leaned over and growled through his teeth into the alcalde's ear.

Zorro straightened up and spun the chair around; he quickly carved a big Z onto the nice vest the alcalde was wearing. He quickly climbed up onto the rafters and out the roof window. "I will be watching, I suggest you clean up your act before it is too late." Zorro growled down at De Soto from the roof window. De Soto looked up and ground his teeth together in anger.

"I will see you hang Zorro." De Soto spat out in anger.

"I don't think so Alcalde." Zorro waved at De Soto and quickly left the window.

De Soto ran out the front door and looked all around for Zorro, "lancers." De Soto yelled. Four lancers came running up and stopped in front of De Soto. "Zorro is around here somewhere, find him and bring him to me!" He ordered and turned on his heal quickly and returned to his office.

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Zorro watched the lancers scatter about the Pueblo, and noticed a wagon approaching. As the wagon came across the pueblo, he saw Victoria and Felipe at the wagon reins. He quickly and quietly made his way to the Tavern and slipped into a guest room upstairs and waited for Victoria and Felipe. Zorro watched Felipe bring the horses around to the tavern's small stable in the back, Zorro whistled quietly down to Felipe. Felipe looked up and smiled at Zorro and signed that he had a change of clothes for him.

"Thank you Felipe, meet me upstairs and bring Victoria with you." Zorro replied with a smile and left the window.

Felipe and Victoria knocked on the guest room door at the top of the stairs. Zorro opened the door and hid behind it until both Felipe and Victoria entered the room. He quickly closed and locked the door so there were no interruptions.

Victoria ran to Zorro and wrapped her arms around his waist in a big hug. Zorro reached up and pulled his mask and hat off and tossed them onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around Victoria and pulled her closer for a kiss.

Diego forgot Felipe was in the room until he heard someone clear their throat. "Oh, sorry Felipe, I forgot you were here." Diego blushed a little as he looked up.

Victoria turned around and blushed also, "you should change before lancers come looking for Zorro." She said with embarrassment and quickly left the room. Felipe gave Diego a look of embarrassment, and quickly followed Victoria.

Diego quickly changed into his blue suit, and went down stairs. Victoria was locking the door and spun around when she heard Diego sit down at a nearby table next to Felipe.

"Closing up early?" Diego questioned her and smiled.

"Yes, I need to get to bed early tonight. We have a busy day tomorrow." Victoria smiled slyly.

"Yes we do, and on that note, I will head home to prepare for tomorrow." Diego and Felipe stood up and walked over to the door.

Victoria gave Diego a quick kiss and watched Felipe and Diego mount their horses. "I will see you tomorrow mi amor, te amo." Diego smiled wickedly and left slowly.

Victoria heard Zorro's whistle as he reached the Pueblo's entrance. Toronado went running by the Tavern porch and followed his master home.

Victoria waved at them, and when they were out of sight, she went inside to tidy up and get ready for bed. Pilar and Maria wished Victoria good night and made sure she was asleep before they went to their rooms for the night. They were staying at the Tavern overnight so they could help Victoria prepare for her big day in the morning.

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The next day, Diego and Victoria were married at the church. Pablo, Rosemary, and Juan were honored to be guests at the wedding. The alcalde grew suspicious as to why Victoria wanted to marry Diego. "Zorro is too busy thanks to you, so I moved on." Victoria told the alcalde with sharpness to her tone.

"Why Diego? He is nothing like Zorro. He reads, paints, writes, and plays the piano all day." De Soto gave her a confused look.

"That is my business, not yours. He may not be like Zorro, but I love him, and his talents are romantic." Victoria gave De Soto a glare and put her hands on her hips.

De Soto shook his head and left the reception party.

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The next day Pablo and his family left in a stagecoach to go see their sick family member. The four days of rest they had were eventful and the new friends they made were very understanding when they told them they needed to leave as soon as possible.

Alejandro and Diego had a father-son talk about Zorro.

"Father, we need to talk about Zorro." Diego poked his head around the corner of his father's bedroom doorway.

"I will be right there Diego, I need to finish this account book." Alejandro replied with out looking up from the account book.

Diego was waiting in the library reading a new book from Spain. "Diego, you wanted to talk to me about your alter ego." Alejandro said quietly as he sat down on the chair across from Diego.

Diego looked up from his book and smiled carefully when his father sat down. "I want to explain why I kept my secret from you, if you have questions, which I am sure you will have, I will answer them the best I can." Diego replied slowly and carefully as he put the book he was reading down on the table next to him.

"I want to show you something that will make it easier to explain and answer some of your questions." Diego stood up slowly and moved over to the fire place. He pushed the lever on the underside of the mantle and watched his father's reaction when the door swung open to Zorro's cave.

"Where does that door lead too?" Alejandro stood up carefully and leaned over slightly in surprise while staring at the open door.

"It leads to Zorro's cave, follow me and then you can ask me all the questions you want." Diego went through the door and waited for his father to follow him.

Alejandro carefully stepped through and looked around with wonder. Diego lead his father to the end of the hallway and helped his father down the steps. Alejandro was so amazed at the sight before him he needed to sit down. Diego pulled a stool over to the side of the desk and watched Alejandro sit down in the desk chair.

"So this explains why you could appear and disappear so quickly when I was looking for you." Alejandro smile at Diego and shook his head.

"Do you want to look around the cave?" Diego asked his father with a big smile on his face.

"I have been curious about how and where Zorro works on all of his tricks and experiments." Alejandro stood up and started to walk over to the lab table covered with bubbling test tubes.

"Please be careful father, the blue liquid might burn you if it spills." Diego quickly jumped up and hurried over to stand next to his father.

"Was that the explosion I heard a few days ago?" Alejandro raised his eyebrows slightly when he asked about the loud noise.

"No, that was something else." Diego gave his father a small smile of embarrassment.

"From the look on your face, I am guessing it didn't go so well?" Alejandro moved over to the coat rack that held Zorro's clothes and hat.

"No, it didn't, but I still have hopes to get it right at a later time when Felipe is not so jumpy." Diego followed his father slowly around the cave.

Alejandro turned around quickly and gazed at his son with sad eyes.

"What's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?" Diego's voice changed a little with worry.

"No, you didn't say anything to upset me." I have said many things to hurt you. Now that I know my son has the De La Vega spirit and skill to protect and stand up for himself and others, all the hurtful words I said to you before are making me feel sick and upset." Alejandro replied sadly.

"You saw what I wanted you to see; an artist, reader, writer, and someone who avoids conflict. I enjoy all of those activities, but most of all, I enjoy protecting the innocent from injustice. I hid my true personality from you so you would be safe. If anything happened to you, Victoria, or Felipe, I would be lost. You are my father, and if you knew what I was doing as Zorro, you would worry and try to stop me. We both know that would only cause friction between us and the De La Vega temper is nothing to mess with." Diego looked at his father seriously slowly smiled.

"Please forgive me, I love you son, and I didn't mean to hurt you in anyway." Alejandro tried to hide the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"I love you too father; and I promise to be more careful." Diego replied quietly and pulled his father in for a hug.

"I have so many questions, but they can wait for a better time. And thank you for all you have done for us and the people of Los Angeles." Alejandro pulled gently away from Diego and smiled up at him. His smile was full of pride and acceptance.

"My son Diego is the hero of Los Angeles." Alejandro said quietly to himself while he made his way back to the hallway leading to the fire place exit.

Diego followed his father and made sure you exited the cave safely. "Father, I am going to town to work on the newspaper, would you like to join me?" Diego asked as he straightened out his jacket.

"No thank you Son, I have several things that need to be done before dinner." Alejandro replied with a grateful smile and hugged his son before returning to his room.

Over the next few days Diego and Alejandro talked about Zorro, and most of Alejandro's questions were answered.

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Zorro was not needed often, but when he did show up in town, he would ignore Victoria. This simple act of ignoring her helped keep her safe from the alcalde. Soon Zorro only showed up to deliver banditos.

De Soto grew tired of the cat and mouse game and behaved himself. He had also run out of ideas of how to capture Zorro, so he just gave up. No new taxes were thought of, and if he did try to do something unfair to the people, they stood up to him.

The Pueblo De Los Angeles was peaceful for now, but Zorro was watching just in case he was needed.


End file.
